Seacrest hosts new feel-good show ‘Knock Knock Live’ on Fox

Ryan Seacrest participates in the "Knock Knock Live" pop up event outside the News Corporation/Fox Building on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Seacrest has noticed a pattern when he knocks on a stranger’s door.

“Most men answer the door without a shirt on,” he said in a recent interview.

The “American Idol” host picked up on this while preparing for his new game show, “Knock Knock Live,” premiering July 21 on Fox (9 p.m. EDT).

“I just went down a street the other night in Los Angeles and tested it,” Seacrest said. “It’s a little frightening when you walk up to doors because you hear animals and people are, ‘Who is it?'”

On his new show, answering a knock on the door could lead to a major surprise.

Seacrest will be in an L.A. studio while a team of helpers like Kellie Pickler and Ross Mathews arrive at the front door of people across the U.S. (Participants can apply to appear on the show or are nominated.) When they answer the door, they’re given a challenge. They can win prizes, meet celebrities or have a dream come true.

“Some will get cash, some will get a new car. Some will meet their celebrity crushes. Some will have a random game happen in their front yard or on their street,” Seacrest said. “It really depends on the story, and we’ve tailored all of our responses to hopefully put a smile on people’s faces and change their life a little bit. The fun thing about it, for me, is that this is a live show, so we don’t have an idea of what’s gonna happen.”

Seacrest said the key was finding “great stories.”

“It was like, ‘Let’s find people who are nominated who deserve something special, who are extraordinary people. Maybe they didn’t get that promotion, maybe they didn’t get that raise, maybe they didn’t go to summer camp. We’ll step in and help out.”

So far, asking celebrities to participate has been easy.

“The celebrities hear the stories, they learn about the people and they know what impact they have had. That’s why they have said, ‘I’ll agree to do it,'” Seacrest said. “Everyone from David Beckham to Justin Bieber (is) helping us out on this show.”